Indoor portable practice putting green



Dec. 16, 1936.

H. R. BUSSE INDOOR PORTABLE PRACTICE PUTTING GREEN Filed Dec. 19, 1927 Herm/EBU?? Patented Dec. 16, '1930 UNITED STATES s lHEBBIEBTEL B. BUSSE, OF SEATTLE, WASHINGTON moon PonrABLE PRACTICE PUTTING GREN Application mea December 19, 1927. serial ne. 241,065.

My invention relates to an improvement in practice putting greens, especially that type which is intended to be used in the home, and which must, therefore, be cheap and easily portable.

One object of my invention is to make a green of the general class described above, which is so constructed as to improve the touch of the player, as well as his accuracy,

for in stroking a ball on a natural green, the success of the putt is as often dependent upon the use of the correct amount of force, as inx the accuracy of direction. i

A further object is the provision of such a l' practice green wherein the balls, whether they attain the objective-dropping into the cup-or whether they miss the cup, will be returned to the player, or in his direction. A further object is the construction of such a practice putting green, which, in addition to eing portable, is cheaply yet strongly constructed so that it may be sold at a low cost, and thus be within the reach of every player.

A further object is the provision of means whereby sucht a portable practice green,

though of relatively light con truction, will not be displaced by the striking of the ball, but will hold fast and thus assure to Athe player that his shot will not be spoiled by 90 the movement of the green. l

A Vfurther object is the provision of a plurality of apertures or holes in such I'a green, with provision for covering as many as may be desired so that the surface is smooth and ush and presents no obstruction to balls 'i which may pass thereover on their way to another hole. This is a provision intended both to obviat and on the covering leading thereto, and to provide variety for the layer.

A further object lin in oor putting greens is the provision of means whereby a rim shot will be simulated much as occurs when a player putts his ball on the outdoor green so that .it just strikes the rim of the cup and rollsaround the rim without dropping therein. So, by providing a contour of the hole in the practice green, in a peculiar manner, the ballmay be caused to run around the rim, 5 but not drop thereinto.

e too vmuch wear on one hole `Yis indicated at B. To prevent the balls which Other objects may be ascertained from a study of the following s ecication the drawings forminga part t ereof, and the claims terminating the same.

In the accompanyingdrawings, my invention is shown in a form which is now preferred by me. Y

My invention' comprises the novel parts and the novel combination and arrangement thereof as shown in the accompanying drawings, described in the specification and par- 4ticularly defined by the claims.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my green.

Figure 2 is a section on line 2 2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail section through one of the holes and its cover.

Figure 5 is a section similar to Figure 4, 70 showlng a slight modification.

While it will be apparent that such a practice green might be constructed ofI various materials and in various forms and shapes,

I prefer that itbe constructed of sheet metal for cheapness and convenience of manufacture, and to give it lightness for ready portability. Thus, the sheet 1 comprises the surface of the green, except as it may be covered by a strip of felt, 2 or'like material, 80 simulating grass "and tending to prevent noise and retard the ball much as does the grass of a putting green. This sheet 1 may belformed in a generally triangular shape and is apertured as indicated at 10 and 11, 85 the apertures being of a size to permit passage of a golf ball of the standard size, as

are stroked upon the surface l from overshooting the mark and dropping upon the iioor beyond, I provide a barrier or guard'at the rear side, at least, of the surface 1, and

preferably this extends about both sides and the rear edge of the surface, as indicated at 12. These flanges may very conveniently and cheaply be formed by Hanging upwardly and inwardly the edges of the metal sheet 1. They should extend to a height approximately half the height of a` golf ball so that if a ball strikes them, it will strike at about its center of gravity, and as the flanges are resilient, the ball will rebound therefrom and be started on its return to the player.

It will be understood that the surface 1 is somewhat inclined. That ortion which is 'toward the player, and whic I designate the Thus, a player muststroke his ball so that.

it will just rise past the incline 13 or it will fail to stop and drop in the hole 10, but will jump past this, if stroked too hard. The

lapertures 11, however, are placed in the forward portion so that a ball may be putted'up the inclined forward portion and drop directly into onev of these apertures, if the same is uncovered. x

This, then, serves chiefly as a means to irnprove accuracy, while the aperture 10 requires both accuracy and the proper touch in order f to hole the ball.

I provide co'vers 3 which are covered with material -32 similar to the cover 2 for the surface 1, these covers 3 being of a size to lit within the apertures 10 or 11 and fill them, and thus these covers with their covering material 32 come flush with the putting surface and offer no obstruction thereto when in place. As many holes as may be desired may be thus covered, and the hole in use may be changed from time to time for variety and to prevent undue wear on the cover 2 surrounding any one hole. -The means for supporting these covers 3 will be described hereafter, but it should be noted that they are supported from below and have a weight as 31 to hold them in place andl prevent their displacement when a ball rolls thereover. Also, a notch as indicated at 30 may be pro vided in one edge for engagement by a' finger or thumb to remove the covers when desired.

To enable a ball putted from a carpet, at a distance from the green, to rise onto the inclined green Without undue shock and y:ses

as indicated at 20, and may project slightly` beyond the forward edge of the flange 14 to soften the' rise of the ball over the edge of this flange and to overlie the edge of adjacent carpet, if this be found desirable.

Any convenient support ma be rovided for t ey reen thus describe an I have shown a slmple angular sheet metal leg 4 secured beneath the sheet. This leg 1s not, shown as secured directly to the sheet 1, though it might be so secured, but I have shown it as secured to a cu 5 `which is directly secured beneath the s eet 1 in such a position as to receive balls which pass thru any of the apertureslO or 11. The bottom of this cup 5, which may be made of sheet L. metal for lightness and cheapness, is inclined in all directlons toward an aperture 50 in one side which is large enough to permit passage of a ball, as indicated in dotted lines in Figlure 2. A return trough or chute 6 connects with this aperture 50 and is directed forwardly therefrom, and is somewhat inclined forwardly, so that any ball which drops through one of the apertures in the green will be directed by the inclined bottom surfaces of the cu 5 toward the aperture 50 and will then be irected forwardly b the inclined chute 6 so as to be'returne towards the player. The green itself is so inclined and so guarded by the flanges l2 that any ball which does not drop through one of the apertures will be returned in the direction from whichit came. Hence, the player will not have to go to the green or beyond it to retrieve balls, but they will always be returned in his direction.

To further assist in accuracy and to prevent displacement of the green, I may pro# vide a weight 7 at the forward edge of the green which serves to steady the entire green whenstruck by a ball.

.To simulate rimshots such as occur in outdoor greens and putting cups, and which are due to the somewhat rounded contour of the edge ofthe cup, I may provide rin s 8 which are formed by rolling the edges o the apertures, as in Figure 5, or which are formed as separate rings, secured beneath each of the apertures 10 or 11, as shown in Figures 2, 3, and 4, and of'somewhat smaller internal diameter than these apertures, but yet lar e enough to permit a ball to pass therethroug The rolled edge of the apertures, or the upper inner surface of these rings, is rounded as indicated` at 80.

The ball striking this rounded surface will not immediately drop therethrough, if it has any velocity at all, but will run around, and by its centrifugal'force thus developed will be thrown out of the aperture rather` than be permitted to drop through it. To further simulate the conditions in an outdoor green, these rings, at least the visible portions thereof, may be painted brown to simulate the space between the upper edge of the metal cup and the surface of the earth. These rings 8, or their counterparts, the

rolled edges shown in Figure 5, lie beneath and support the covers 3, To prevent displacement of a cover from the support shown in Figure 5, wherein the cover may tend to sli hl on the rounded surface 80, l may provide a tab 38 on the cover, fitting within a depression or groove 83 in the curled edge 8.

Vhat l claim as my invention is:

l. A portable practice green comprising a lsheet defining an apertured surface inclined upwardly and rearwardly from a forward floor-engaging edge, said forward edge being Weighted to prevent displacement when struck by a ball.

2. A portable practice green comprising a sheet defining a surface having a plurality of apertures, and inclined upwardly and rearwardly from a forward floor-engaging edge, a ball-receiving cup secured beneath the several apertures, and an inclined, forwardly directed return chute leading therefrom, said cup being inclined towards said chute.

3. In a practice green, a sheet defining a playing surface, and apertured to permit passage of a ball, the material forming the periphery of the aperture being rounded downwardly from the general plane of the playing surface, and a disk adapted to rest upon the rounded periphery of the aperture to close the same, and to come flush with the playing surface.

4. A practice green as in claim 23, the disk being of sheet metal, and a Weight secured to its under side to prevent its accidental displacement.

Signed at Seattle, Kingy County, Washington, this 12th day of December, 1927.

HERBERT R. BUSSE. 

